Kosmorigins, Brussels

After Brussels’ successful 2010 show, the second edition of the street art festival ‘Kosmopolite Art Tour’ will be taking over Louvain-La-Neuve. Over 50 international and Belgian artists will be painting seven of the city’s walls, with block parties, workshops and exhibitions completing the programme. One of the shows, called ‘Kosmorigins’, will take place in Brussels’ Montana Shop & Gallery, with an interesting retrospective exhibition of this year’s festival. An essential poke around the street art of today.

Catclub, Brussels

Get ready for the summer edition of Brussels’ beloved Catclub, still one of the very best parties in town. For the sunny season, this soiree will be changing location to the Brussels Yacht Club – the perfect waterside venue to party away these precious few days of summer heat. Gracing the decks: Footprintz has come all the way from Canada, plus Belgian girl duo L-Fêtes and of course the usual suspect, Lady Jane.

Vide Dressing au Garage, Brussels

Here’s one for all you hordes of shopping addicts out there: if you haven’t been lucky these summer sales, there’ll be another opportunity to get your hands on some cool new pieces for a bargain: Vide Dressing au Garage is offering an eclectic selection of vintage pieces, from clothing to accessories and shoes, as well as a cool mini furniture flea market. What’s more: a number of young designers, such as Femmes Machines, are also setting out their stalls while a DJ set sets the mood.

28th July147 Rue Gray, 1050 Bruxelles

Jan Fabre, Antwerp

Having been featured at the 54thVenice Biennale, Jan Fabre is now putting on a show of his famous Pietas series in his hometown of Antwerp. The exhibition is the first to take place in the newly renovated Parkloods in Antwerp’s Park Spoor Nord. With Pietas, the artist – who many might know for his permanent installation in Brussels’ Royal Palace made from 1,400,000 beetle shields – has created several marble sculptures that play with the iconic image of Mary holding the dead body of her son in her arms. The brain, an important element in Fabre’s work, plays a key role once again.

New Art in Antwerp, Antwerp

This exhibition focuses on a period that has come to be defined by the clash of figurative and abstract painting. When a group of Antwerp abstract artists felt they had to defend their creations against the perceived dominance of figurative art, they founded the collective G58. The M HKA features a selection of artworks from the time, highlighting characteristic moments and figures, from Pol Bury to Daniel Spoerri and Dieter Roth. Plus, everything is juxtaposed with pieces by Belgian contemporary artist Bart Stolle. An interesting afternoon out in Antwerp.

The Graveyard, Ghent

Visual artist slash architect Filip Berte is interested in the less-than-obvious, in the hidden fringes and margins of society. Together with sound artist Ruben Nachergaele, he has travelled to Europe’s edges, to Tbilisi, Chisinau and Melilla, a Spanish enclave in Morocco, where he aimed his camera at migrants, refugees, and the homeless. Berte contrasts these with images from Brussels, the perceived ‘centre of Europe’ and port of arrival for many of those looking for something better. The Graveyard is an installation that combines four captivating films, offering a glimpse into the lesser-known corners of our continent.

Storm Thorgerson, Ostend

Without realising it, you’ve probably already seen plenty of Storm Thorgerson’s work. He’s the creative genius behind countless iconic album covers, from Pink Floyd’s legendary Dark Side of the Moon to the records of Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel, Black Sabbath… as well as more recent ones like Muse, The Mars Volta or even Belgian band Goose. The so-called Magritte of the music industry is now putting on a show of his work for the first time in Belgium, and in quite a special location: a huge fortress in the dunes built by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1811. A must for music lovers and art fans alike.

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The Word Magazine is Belgium’s leading English-speaking free media platform, documenting and championing the best in neighbourhood living, music and art. Published every two months, the magazine is distributed in over 500 distribution points across the country.